In David Seals interview of Thelma Rios in 2004 Thelma was adamant that Dave Hill, aka Mr.X ,as she is quoted in the interview was a “cop”-“He’s a cop, and always was.”

I take that to mean not a literal badge carrying one but an informant.

At another point she goes on to say regarding the Custer riot that “He started it all, Dave,” she said. “He provoked the riot. He was right there. He told me so, proudly, several times.”

Those words coupled with John Trudell’s insistence that there was a well placed “operative” within AIM who had the ear of leadership and the place to begin searching to identify this person was the Custer event makes me wonder if Hill is the one he’s pointing the finger at?

When Seals went on to ask Rios if Means, Banks, and Crow Dog were aware of this “she clammed up. She gave me a funny look, and changed the subject.”

Of further interest, and some might say adds fuel to the fire, is following Hill’s arrest for the bombing of Mount Rushmore he was released in short order without bail.

Now if Annie’s arrests and releases were sufficient grounds for her to labelled a snitch how is it Hill escaped the same label?

One possible answer could be that Mean’s Banks, and Crow Dog did indeed know and were within that get out jail free thing themselves having made their own deals over time.

Following Hill’s release for the bombing charge he was immediately arrested by the state for filing off the serial numbers on a pistol- and you guessed it-he walked from that as well.

Maybe I’m just naive when it comes to how the law works pertaining to bombing a “national monument” or filing off serial numbers on handguns, but I seriously doubt it is normal procedure that people just walk away from such things-I would think it results from a deal being struck.

Question is what sort of deal, what was the medium of exchange, and who benefited?

It’s also been said that Hill was among the cadre of “warriors” who confronted Ray Robinson that led to his being shot and left to bleed out and die.

Thelma’s confession and testimony for her role in the abduction, detention, and murder of Annie Mae remains sealed as far as I know-predictably based on the euphemism it is part of an ongoing investigation-but I kind of wonder if it has been sealed to protect others-like well placed informants, and “liberators” with feet of clay, or to avoid the publicity of any type of collusion between state/federal agencies and individuals the knowledge of such might generate?